High Cholesterol Can Be A Good Thing #AMCoffee

High Cholesterol Can Be Good?

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Cholesterol is one of the widely discussed subjects these days. You hear it all the time: high cholesterol, low cholesterol, bad and good cholesterol. Wow, you can swim in the subject of “cholesterol!” I love having Dr. Karen Vieira as our amazing collaborator and contributor on the topics of women’s health and well-being. She has poured some light on the discussion of cholesterol in general that we can benefit from. Here’s her take on it.

Yes, you read that correctly. Why then would your doctor put you on a statin medicine like Lipitor or Crestor when your cholesterol levels are high? Because that’s what they’ve been taught to do. Don’t get mad at your doctor though. It’s not his or her fault. What you’re about to read isn’t well known yet by doctors, unfortunately.

Several studies conducted with the elderly, those with higher cholesterol levels, have proven to live longer than those with lower cholesterol levels. Studies on cholesterol haven’t just been done in nursing homes though. Studies in the general population have found that high cholesterol alone doesn’t predict the occurrence of heart attacks or strokes. High cholesterol on its own is meaningless.

Get the Right Blood Tests

There are other tests that do accurately predict risk for heart attack and stroke. Some of these tests include vLDL and sdLDL. If you have high levels of these and other tests, then there is reason for concern. But even that doesn’t warrant taking dangerous statin drugs like Lipitor or Crestor. There are natural ways to safely lower high vLDL and sdLDL without side effects.

Wendi,
They do know side effects!
Huge corporations who get the meds onto the market disclose those side effects in small font.
What I find there is from being constipated to suffering a sudden death and everything in between.
These meds bring more harm than healthy benefits.
Patients MUST EMPOWER THEMSELVES with data and extra knowledge about their conditions and medication available for them.
When we are “read-up” and are aware of what’s going on, we ask better questions and make smarter decisions for our own sake.

Beware of Cholesterol Medication

Here’s what Dr. Karen Vieira thinks.

The biggest problem with statin medications like Lipitor and Crestor are that they damage muscle tissue. This usually starts out as muscle pain but eventually leads to muscle breakdown that can get to the point of paralysis then death.

If you don’t believe me and are dead-set on taking your cholesterol medication, please always take Coenzyme Q10 along with it. This can be bought for a few dollars at any pharmacy, grocery store or vitamin store. It is just a naturally occurring substance in our bodies that is needed for proper muscle and heart function.

Cholesterol lowering medications all dangerously deplete the body of Coenzyme Q10, also known as CoQ10, hence the muscle damage that these drugs cause.

Wendi,
We cannot recommend anything from these pages when it comes to medical issues.
You ALWAYS need to see your doctor!
What you KNOW and What Questions you ask can make a difference.
That is why we publish information for the sake of education and empowering our women in this community!

All medications – especially when a person takes many different meds/drugs – cause side effects.
Side effects caused by one medication are greatly amplified by other medications that produce their own side effects.
It is a very serious problem, called polypharmacy. Check my post on it here.

I wonder if doctors regularly inform their patients that it is good to take Coenzyme Q10 while on these medications. I sure would hope so. I think a lot of people expect to get all the info they need from doctors. But it’s always good to do your own research and ask all the questions you can when it comes to your health.

Lower Cholesterol Naturally

Use 1-3 grams daily of no flush NIACIN (a B vitamin) to safely lower cholesterol levels. Also effective is 2 grams daily of plant sterols/stenols. Discuss these options with your doctor in place of getting a prescription for a cholesterol lowering medication.

Amanda,
Plant sterols and stanols are substances that occur naturally in small amounts in MANY grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Since they have powerful cholesterol-lowering properties, manufacturers have started adding them to foods

Agreed on that, Amanda.
At this point, good diet and quality supplements is the way to go.
Food fortification is one of the important and controversial things that we’ve got on our hands.
Food fortification has helped to eliminate many conditions: like dystrophy (adding vitamin D to foods), scurvy (adding vitamin C to foods), Xerophthalmia – cause of blindness among young children (adding vitamin A to foods).

I LOVE Freshly Prepared Foods

I make different FOOD PLATTERS frequently at my house. We have frequent business guests, we have troves of the neighborhood kids running around with ours – for all these occasions, I make different trays that they can munch from. Trying to add seasonal veggies and fruit, plus some proteins depending who is going to be our “munchkins.”

Amanda,
I find out that PRESENTATION does depend on what kind of tray you use for display.
These orange trays have been amazing to me! I love them so much. They carry a ton of stuff and hold all foods very nicely – no mess or spotting.
Just experiment and do your plating with passion – you’ll find your way of doing it. I speak from my personal experience.

Lisa,
I find these trays really save me time and appeal to our guests and kids alike.
Especially when we have work appointments at our home office, I serve big trays of fruit, seeds and nuts, cheeses, proteins, even breads and crackers – I learn what my guests like before they come – and then place that tray on a big table where we do the work.
The food lasts through the entire work day – just add water!

Again, I urge you to get tested for the correct types of cholesterol tests, consult with your doctor or ask me questions if you’re not sure which blood tests are right for your specific condition, lower your cholesterol naturally and safely, and if you insist on taking cholesterol lowering medication, ALWAYS take them with CoQ10.

Wendi,
What’s interesting is that people who consider themselves healthy, gotta do the cholesterol test.
What happens, the artery clogging can produce a stroke or kill a person.
Knowing the state of arteries, so to say, is a MUST and gives a peace of mind in this department.